Electric lights illuminated the corridor.
Sean held Olivia's arm and followed the butler in the crimson tuxedo.
The footsteps of everyone knocked on the marble floor.
While walking silently to the banquet hall, Moonlight heard a certain sound.
Like a low sob, like a plaintive groan...
Naturally, he would not ignore these details and immediately informed Sean through the vibration of the playing cards.
The "Last Dance" walking in front slowed down significantly - he was listening intently.
Then, he also heard the weird crying sound.
Moreover, he discovered that the sound came from a room in front.
Soon, they reached the door of the room.
Sean stopped and looked sideways into the room. He saw——
A puppet wearing a black maid costume was holding a broom and sweeping the spotless ground.
The speaker in her mouth seemed to be tuned to some weird midnight radio station, and a terrifying whimpering sound was coming out.
The butler in a crimson dress noticed the guest's stop, but stayed in the darkness ahead without urging him rudely.
Sean turned his head and signaled to all his fellow travelers, and his footsteps walked lightly into the room——
He didn't know why, but he wanted to know what happened to the puppet.
Although the "staff" of Midnight Paradise have clumsy and stiff movements and rigid words, they do not do anything illogical.
For example, sweeping the clean floor repeatedly.
With strong curiosity, Sean ducked in front of the maid.
He saw an... indescribable face.
The wooden face was densely covered with wax flowing from the dark eye holes.
The wax oil washed away the paint on her face, making her expression particularly twisted and terrifying.
The syllables emanating from the rough horn in the mouth made Sean, Moonlight and Olivia shudder, and they exchanged terrifying looks almost at the same time.
They heard that the puppet who didn't know what he was doing was crying and saying: "Thomas...I'm sorry, Thomas..."
That was clearly Mrs. Dominic's voice.
She seemed to be locked in a small dark room, mentally insane, and her voice could only be heard through a low-quality speaker.
"Mrs. Dominic?" Sean called in a very soft voice.
At this time, the butler waiting in front realized that the guest had stayed too long and turned around...
The puppet maid who had been sweeping the floor stopped and looked at Sean with a pair of dark eyes in confusion.
This call did not awaken her memory. She just continued to lower her head and sweep the floor based on the remaining instinct and resentment, whimpering Thomas's name.
Sean and Yueguang had surprised and slightly painful expressions on their faces.
They found Mrs. Dominic, but her soul was trapped in a puppet by occult magic.
The spellcasters' powers were at their peak, and they were unable to force the poor woman to be released against Peter Pan's will.
"Guests," the butler walked to the door and looked directly at Sean with dull eyes, "do you have any questions?"
In order to avoid unnecessary complications, Sean shook his head and signaled that he would go out immediately.
"You don't have to worry..." the butler's voice came from the micro-speaker, "These out-of-control puppets are handled by dedicated personnel."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Sean glanced at Mrs. Dominic, who had completely lost herself, and said something in a low voice.
Those words were heard by Father Taylor, and he was slightly moved.
Until Sean walked out of the room again, refreshed, those words seemed to still linger in his ears.
The old exorcist drew a diamond shape on his chest and sincerely prayed that what Sean just said would come true.
Here's what Sean said before leaving the room:
“Madam, don’t be afraid——
"Freedom will come."
——
Sean and others came to a long and narrow hall.
Among the nine crystal chandeliers, the three-layered one in the middle is the most complex, huge and gorgeous. It is like a light source wrapped in diamonds, emitting a dazzling brilliance.
Under the gorgeous light, there is an embroidered carpet. The length of this carpet is staggering, and it seems that there is no end even if you run fast.
There were glass windows covered by thick velvet curtains on both sides of the hall, and Sean could see a group of people standing in the depths.
When approaching the end of the hall, Sean and others deliberately kept a distance from the first comers.
They observe others and are observed by others——
The most conspicuous among the first arrivals was naturally the team led by the King class.
Due to the richer soul, the presence of high-level explorers will be more obvious if hidden unintentionally.
Just like the most beautiful flowers in a simple flower garden.
Even if the Kingdom Guard and his teammates don't stand at the center of everyone, people will unconsciously pay more attention to them.
The other two groups are also explorers - there is no doubt that no ordinary person can survive the game in the courtyard area.
The captain of one group wears a "Three Nighthawk" mask composed of black, blue, and gray and white.
The Three-Voice Nighthawk is a J-class mask that combines agility and occult skills, possessing rare night vision and gliding abilities.
It is rumored that the function represented by this kind of bird mask is usually "aviator".
If a explorer in the ordinary world was a pilot who participated in night missions during the European War, I am afraid this kind of mask would be perfect.
Compared to the "Three Nighthawks", the other team made Moonlight 1902 a little more shuddering.
The leader of that team, the Queen, wore a wolf bone mask with some flesh remaining. Whether it was the leader himself or the team members, they all exuded an aura of corruption that did not belong to the living world.
"Board Director", an advanced version of the legendary "Ghoul" mask.
This series of masks is easier to obtain for functions that deal with the dead in real life.
However, this kind of mask, which may desecrate the corpse, is not some kind of glorious honor. This is a mask that is relatively close to the dark side.
The Nighthawk Team and the Corps Director Team both maintain a certain distance from the King.
Part of it is out of politeness, and the bigger part is out of fear.
The gulf of power disparity is difficult to bridge.
Just when everyone remained silent, they heard some shuffling footsteps.
The Deadwood Sage and the Tacheng apprentice had already changed their clothes and were belatedly arriving.
Compared to Sean, they stood further away from the crowd and just saluted everyone from a distance.
Including Max's team, which was almost wiped out, the six teams that had collected 650 points before midnight and entered the castle area were already gathered here.
Suddenly, the door at the deepest part of the hall was pushed open forcefully, making a loud noise.
The puppet servants dressed in fine clothes filed in, and their footsteps turned out to be the same.
From the dark space inside the door, Sean saw the silhouette of a person walking slowly.
He has a tall figure for a teenager, and his blond hair is meticulously combed back.
The master of this spiritual world, the founder and king of Midnight Paradise, dressed in a very elite black suit, walked slowly out of the darkness.
He walked into the light, with a faint smile on his thin lips and a pair of lazy light blue eyes.
